


Citrus and Musk

by Kiba_Lover23



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:14:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26431738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiba_Lover23/pseuds/Kiba_Lover23
Summary: Shepard wears a perfume that reminds Garrus of something very familiar and awkward...
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Citrus and Musk

Commander Lena Shepard of the Normandy is a practical military woman, Alliance regulations don't allow for much... Sensuality. So in uniform she keeps the feminine frills to a minimum, but she indulges herself in just one thing... Her favorite perfume. Actually today is the first time in years that she had found it, the company just started exporting it to the Citadel and she immediately picked up a bottle. The fragrance was citrus with a hint of vanilla and musk, and just one small dab on her wrists made Lena feel instantly more relaxed. Looking at the time on her omni tool, she realized it was about time to head to dinner with Garrus, and bent down to slip her heels on. Striding out of the elevator on the crew deck just a few minutes later and meeting her Turian just outside the main battery. Garrus walked over to her to say hello and caught a whiff of her perfume.

Turian blushing wasn't visible past the protective plating on their faces but his cheeks heated up any way and his sub-harmonics whined inaudibly to his human friend. She couldn't possibly know what that smell was like, could she? Knowing Lena Shepard's wicked sense of humor he wouldn't put it past her to tease him with the scent of turian... Well come... Garrus could at least think that to himself if not mention it out loud to her.... Was she messing with him? Pulling himself out of his spiraling thoughts, Garrus smiled and greeted Shepard, _"You look very nice Lena. It's a little weird seeing you out of uniform though."_

_"A girl's gotta mix it up sometimes. Besides, dinner with a friend is the perfect excuse to dress up!"_ Lena said with a grin as she gave the sniper a once over. Garrus had dressed in casual clothes that perfectly showcased his long, muscular limbs and narrow turian waist perfectly. Just as he had mentioned, seeing him in anything other than his usual armor was strange, but both of them thought the other looked hot... Unbeknownst to either of them. The pair walked back toward the elevator and out onto the Citadel's docking bay side by side, taking a taxi to the presidium where their restaurant destination was. Lena noticed Garrus acting a little strangely, shifting slightly and glancing at her out of the corner of his eye more often than usual, and wondered what was going on with him but didn't ask right away. Now as they walked toward the restaurant's entrance they passed by a tall and imposing turian C-Sec officer who nodded respectfully to them, and then did a sudden double take. His expression shifting quickly to surprise, then disgust, glaring down at Garrus and Lena with disdain.

It was lucky for everyone involved that Shepard missed the small interaction as Garrus subtly hurried them away from the other male. He on the other hand was very aware of the issue... That officer had assumed Shepard's perfume was his own mating scent and frowned upon the cross species relationship... Even though that wasn't the case at all! Spirits, this evening just got a lot more complicated... He hoped they could get through it unscathed. Not that he held out much hope for that. His luck had never been that good. In the mean time they had been seated and handed menus, and Lena was browsing for dishes they could both eat since she wanted to be able to share. For a little while he put their potential problem out of his mind and focused on food and conversation.

_"I'm definitely going to enjoy this evening. A little R &R is always nice, and this food is amazing." _Lena said with a small smile as she popped a bite of pasta into her mouth. Garrus looked up from hos plate and gave her the turian equivalent, with mandibles flared slightly to show off his teeth. Most races would find the display threatening, and who could blame them with a mouth like that but after working among aliens for so long Commander Shepard was not so easily spooked. Their relaxation was just as quickly interrupted when another turian hesitantly approached their table and asked if he could say something. Lena smiled pleasantly at him, _"Of course you can."_

_"I just wanted to say... It's nice to see a couple like you out together. It um... Makes me feel a little less worried about... Liking humans myself."_ With that said he gave them a little wave and practically fled to the other side of the restaurant, leaving Lena staring after him with wide eyes, and Garrus groaning in embarrassment with his head in his hands. Shepard glanced between the retreating young man and her friend in confusion.

_"Uhhh... What was **that?** Did he think we were together... I wonder why?" _Her eyes were piercing as she looked toward Garrus. She obviously expected him to explain it, and he had no idea how he could without telling her something extremely awkward. He just shook his head.

_"Don't ask me, I don't know."_ He scratched at his mandible in discomfort and Lena's eyes narrowed, her brows pulling down. Garrus only did that when he wasn't telling the truth. She was pretty sure he wasn't even aware of the tell, or that she knew about it. Something was going on that he wasn't telling her and she was determined to find out exactly what. For now though she let the subject drop with a nonchalant shrug and let herself relax back into good food and conversation with a trusted friend. Until dessert came and their waitress was a turian woman... She dropped the chocolate cakes off at the table beside each of them and then Garrus saw her nose twitch slightly and she looked down at Shepard in surprise. Once again Lena was paying attention to something else and missed that little bit, but then the waitress turned to Garrus.

_"You know handsome, you'd be a lot better off spending your time with a nice turian girl. Like me? Maybe I could give you my number?"_ She gave him a very hopeful look and her sub-harmonics trilled a very interested signal at him. Now this time Lena's expression hardened because she really didn't like people making false assumptions, and this woman was being very dismissive and rude! Regardless of the fact that this wasn't some romantic date, there was no scenario where it was acceptable to approach a customer at their table like this. Her mouth opened to say as much but Garrus beat her to it,

_"I'm sorry, but I'm not interested. Besides, I don't think I like what you're implying about my **friend**..." _He growled, and to her credit the waitress at least looked embarrassed.

_"O-oh, I'm sorry sir. Please enjoy your dessert!"_ Then she too fled like the one from before. However his relief at her retreat was quickly replaced by panic when he looked up to find Lena watching him shrewdly. He knew thay expression, she wore it when she was about to get answers out of somebody no matter what method she had to resort to. Garrus repeated the mandible scratching gesture and avoided eye contact for as long as possible, but he could feel her gaze burning into him and eventually face the inevitable. She wasn't angry. At least not yet, just expectant. For another minute that felt like hours, silence stretched uncomfortably between them and then she broke it.

_"Explain."_ Just one calm word, uttered with no nonsense or nervousness. She expected and answer, and she would get it, or she would go digging for it. If Garrus refused to talk then she'd ask one of the other turians here and that would be infinitely more awkward for them all. Best he just tell her what was going on now... Garrus let out another deep groan and resigned himself to a very uncomfortable conversation.

_"Alright... Alright! Spirits.... Look this is really gonna sound weird okay so just... Bear with me."_ He rushed, and she nodded warily. _"Okay... You had no way of knowing this but something you're wearing, what do humans call it? Par- perfume? Whatever it is... The kind you picked... Well it-it smells like... Fuck, it smells like turian semen! Except for that sugary smell... Both of the turians who came up to us tonight thought we are together because you smell like we... Mated recently."_ He finally finished. Lena was left gaping at the flow of words **and** what he had said. That was probably the most she had ever heard him say all at once, and it was some of the strangest in the entire time they had known each other.

_"Oh for... For fucks' sake. My orange blossom, vanilla, and musk perfume smells like your come?! I don't even know what to say to that or how to process that I know **that** about my best friend now!" _Lena's face was pink with embarrassment. Out of the entire realm of possible answers that was not even in the running! How was she supposed to deal with the fact that her favorite smell was essentially the same as turian jizz with the exception of the vanilla? Or be able to look at Garrus the same way ever again!? Uncomfortable giggles started slipping past her lips, slowly shifting to loud laughter that made some people in the dining room turn to stare. Several moments later she now longer had enough breath to laugh and picked up her fork with one hand while wiping her teary eyes with the other, _"Well then I only have one question for you. Does it taste the way it smells?"_

_"Yeah it- wait **what?!** Lena why would you ask that?" _Garrus spit out his drink, sputtering in shock and shaking the alcohol from his hands to another peal of her laughter. After a minute he joined in, if she was teasing him like that then things would be just fine between them after all. Thank the spirits!


End file.
